


parallel

by cherrysalad



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst without a happy ending, F/F, Femslash February 2018, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 02:14:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13603428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrysalad/pseuds/cherrysalad
Summary: how things are and how things should be.





	parallel

Padma visits her on Wednesday, the day after she moves into her new apartment. She brings with her a small woven picnic basket packed with lunch that their mother had made. Parvati knows both her sister and her mother are worried for her, neither of them think she should be living alone. 

Parvati understands their concerns, she hadn't slept or eaten for days after Lavender's death, and hadn't left her room for weeks, but that was two months ago and sooner or later Parvati has to get on with her life. 

She wasn't going back to Hogwarts as Padma and most of her friends were, she didn't see the point in it. Parvati had plans to start a little divination shop in Diagon Alley, some witches and wizards who weren't skilled at divination would pay good money for the talents of those who were. 

"This is a nice place," Padma says, glancing around the room. It is a nice apartment, roomy with lots of natural light and a little balcony. Parvati thinks Lavender would have liked it. 

"Let's eat on the balcony," Parvati suggests, and then leads her twin through the glass doors that lead outside. It's a clear day, the sky bright and blue above their heads. The potted flowers that Parvati has grown look particularly vividly colorful today.

Padma perches on the intricate metal lawn chair and places the basket on the table. Parvati sits down across from her. Padma gingerly takes two wax paper wrapped sandwiches, a glass container of raspberries and two mason jars of lemonade from the basket. 

Parvati unwraps her sandwich and smiles when she sees it's turkey, her favorite. 

They eat in silence for a little while before Padma speaks again. 

"Parvati," She says, Parvati swallows her bite of sandwich "Be straight with me, are you going to be alright here alone? Lavender only died two months ago, I know she was your, uh–"

"Girlfriend," Parvati says fiercely "Lavender was my girlfriend." Padma looks down.

"Right, well, it can't be easy losing someone that close to you and after the way you acted for the first weeks after her death I just–" 

"I'm going to be fine, Padma," Parvati says firmly. Padma looks down and sighs.

…

Warm light spills through the tall windows and the French doors that open to the balcony. The apartment is silent in that peaceful early morning kind of way. 

Parvati quietly goes about making breakfast. Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream to celebrate their first morning in their new home. She plans to surprise Lavender with breakfast in bed, but when she turns around her girlfriend is already standing in in the doorway to the kitchen. 

"Good morning," Lavender says, the gentle haze of sleep clinging to her voice. She's wearing rosebud pink silk shorts and a matching camisole, Parvati smiles at her.

"Good morning, love. I made breakfast," Lavender eyes the tray of food and grins. 

"Oh good. I'm starving," She says. 

"I was planning to bring it to you in bed, but I guess we could eat it at the table," Parvati says.

"Or we could bring it out the the balcony," Lavender suggests. The balcony has a table and two matching intricate, white metal chairs. Parvati smiles.

"Oh, definitely," She says.

They sit across from each other and eat in a comfortable silence, staring out at the city, drenched in golden, early morning light. Lavender looks beautiful, like amber and honey glowing in the sunlight. 

"I love you," Parvati says suddenly. Lavender leans across the table and catches Parvati in a slow, soft kiss that tastes of strawberries and maple syrup. 

…

Parvati's business takes off faster than she could've hoped for. She loves it, people will request to have their tarot cards or palms read, she even has people come in and ask Parvati to interpret their dreams for them. 

She makes good money and she loves helping people, she even acquires some regular customers who come in every week or so. They are the closest thing Parvati has to friends, which she realizes is sort of pathetic. 

On occasion an old friend or acquaintance from Hogwarts will come in. It's rare that they really want their fortunes told, more frequently they'll just want to talk to Parvati and ask how she's doing. They all offer her nearly identical words of consolation and pitying smiles. 

Even Hermione Granger, who made it clear how she felt about both divination and Lavender back at Hogwarts comes in. It takes all of Parvati's will power not to tell her to fuck off when she starts telling her how sorry she is. 

…

"Parvati?" Lavender asks. They're lying in bed, sticky with sweat from the Summer's pressing heat. Lavender has her head resting on Parvati's bare chest. Her curls brush against Parvati's breasts.

"Mm?" She murmurs sleepily. 

"Let's get married, you're the only person I want to spend my life with," Suddenly Parvati is wide awake and grinning. 

"Are you serious?" Parvati asks.

"Yes, of course," Lavender says.

"Alright," Parvati agrees "Let's get married.

The wedding is a simple affair, not a big, elaborate party, but nothing clinical or business like either. The only guests are their parents and siblings.

Afterwards they invite everyone back to their apartment for wedding cake and butterbeer, but of course, the best is when everyone leaves and Parvati gets her wife all to herself. 

…

Over a year has passed since the battle of Hogwarts and now it seems to be wedding season. All the young couples fresh out of Hogwarts are scrambling to be married. Parvati's mum says it was like this after the first wizarding war. So many people had lost their family members that they were overeager to gain new ones. Some of the marriages lasted, others imploded within a matter of months. 

She starts getting invitations in June. The first one is an invitation to the wedding of Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom, the next few are to Harry and Ginny's, Dean  
and Seamus's and Hermione and Ron's. 

She runs her manicured fingers over the heavy cream colored paper and wonders if she and Lavender would be sending out a similar invitation if things were different. 

The only one she can force herself to go to is Dean and Seamus's, and only then because she and Lavender were so close to them in school. She sits quietly in the farthest back pew and watches the ceremony with sad eyes.

At the reception she finds Dean and Seamus and congratulates and hugs both of them, then she sneaks out early before dinner even begins. 

As soon as she apparates home, she pries off her shiny black heels, tumbles straight into bed and cries until her head aches and her cheeks feel raw.


End file.
